Research Laboratory

Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyCompleted: 2014Cambridge, MA

Building NW12, the MIT Nuclear Reactor Lab, is a university laboratory that conducts interdisciplinary research in the areas of advanced fuel and materials for nuclear energy systems, nuclear science, nuclear medicine, and radiation science and technology. The 6 MW MIT Nuclear Research Reactor (MITR) is equipped with experimental facilities available to users both within and outside MIT.

The environmental requirements for new advanced and specialized experiments were beyond what the existing facility could provide. As part of the upgrades, a new, positive-pressure “clean” room was designed and constructed to provide space for the lab’s most sophisticated experimentation. This new research space includes a refurbished fume hood and an 8-foot glove box with its own external chiller for research furnace. New lab bench space was included along with cylinder storage and a plumbed eye wash station. A service platform sits atop of the new room to provide access to several hood filter units for regular maintenance.